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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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468
Word bank
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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. root — of a word
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — the cause
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mug — to rob
  17. squash — to crush
  18. root — of a plant
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — the sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — with a leg

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