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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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 vegetable
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — to crush
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — of water
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — happening now
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — to breed
  12. spell — letters
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — electric
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. tube — a container
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — music
  24. spell — magic

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