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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: fan · suit · straw · patient · pitch · rest · bark · squash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rest — what's left
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rest — a break
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — to shout
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. suit — to fit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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