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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chair — a leader
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to tire
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com