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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 124 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — a series
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — to confront
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — to point toward

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