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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: lean · squash · patient · band · cap · rash · tear · current

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. current — of water
  6. cap — of ice
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. band — a music group
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. current — electric
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to bend
  24. band — a ring

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