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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 116 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: wound · cap · patient · fan · snap · squash · club · rock

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. club — for golf
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to click
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cap — a lid
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — the sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a hat

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