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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: wind · craft · tear · patient · cell · calf · mark · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — boats
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mark — a trace

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