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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 · squash · firm · wave · game · swing · wound · arm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — a match
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. firm — decided
  8. squash — the sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — a company
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. swing — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — to crush
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wave — of the sea

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