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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: squash · mine · patient · cue · bound · wake · ball · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — for pool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bound — obliged
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — to bend
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — an explosive

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