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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
468
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: row · squash · bore · dip · race · patient · tube · mug

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bore — to tire
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. row — a line
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — to rob
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to drill
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. race — a contest
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — humankind
  24. dip — to dunk

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