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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · snap · present · squash · race · patient

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. race — a contest
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — to crush
  10. snap — to click
  11. race — the arms race
  12. present — there
  13. squash — the sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. present — the time now

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