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

Word bank: sharp · patient · wake · arm · rush · swing · bat · wound

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. swing — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — in golf
  24. sharp — clever

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