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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.

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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: lie · land · jam · track · rash · patient · deal · squash

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rash — hasty
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lie — to recline
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. land — a country
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — ground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. patient — a sick person

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