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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — for sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. court — of law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — a sick person

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