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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: rush · bound · squash · deal · chest · patient · rest · sharp

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bound — tied together
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — to crush
  18. deal — to handle
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bound — certain

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