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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · date · patient · net · squash · pass · bay · lean

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. date — the fruit
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. net — after costs

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