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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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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: object · bay · fan · rush · swing · date · pop · patient

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pop — to visit
  6. swing — music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. object — to protest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — an aim
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — soda
  22. object — a thing
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pop — music

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