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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. suit — in cards
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — to crush
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. file — a tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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