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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: rash · squash · net · bore · pitcher · trunk · season · patient

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bore — to tire
  7. net — for catching
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. net — in sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — of the year
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of a car

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