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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — shares
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stock — goods
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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