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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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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: stem · bay · last · squash · patient · wind · rash · face

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — finally
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rash — a series
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. last — final
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. wind — moving air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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