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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: rest · bear · chair · squash · stick · degree · lash · patient

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the vegetable

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