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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: patient · rash · row · branch · bay · cold · squash · bowl

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. branch — a division
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — a line
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — an illness
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bowl — a football final

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