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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: row · rash · sharp · squash · patient · drill · bulb · fork

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. row — a line
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. squash — the sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. squash — to crush
  14. sharp — clever
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — in a road
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — for light
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. sharp — exactly

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