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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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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: last · hand · patient · wave · squash · mine · hide · sharp

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mine — for digging
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — in cards
  16. last — final
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — help
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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