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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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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: rest · bark · squash · wave · mate · row · patient · pit

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — a break
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mate — a partner
  24. row — a line

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