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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: land · patient · rash · foot · mouse · row · squash · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — ground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. foot — a measure
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — the animal

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