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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — thin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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