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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 120 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: squash · patient · face · cabinet · net · board · mug · prune

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. face — to point toward
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — to get on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — in sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — after costs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to confront
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — part of the head
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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