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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: craft · cold · wave · squash · lean · sharp · bowl · patient

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. craft — boats
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lean — thin
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cold — not warm

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