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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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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: patient · squash · rash · shower · current · deal · game · root

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. game — a match
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rash — hasty
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. shower — to wash
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — rain
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. current — electric
  19. root — of a plant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. root — of a word
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the sport

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