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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. tube — the underground
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tube — a container
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chest — of your body

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