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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · mouse · content · patient · nail · rest · ball · mine

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — the amount
  24. rest — a break

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