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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: plane · suit · spring · patient · squash · cold · row · firm

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. plane — a tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — of water
  19. row — a line
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. row — to paddle
  24. plane — in geometry

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