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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cell — a phone
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. root — of a word
  24. net — for catching

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