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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.

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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: content · patient · rash · wound · squash · craft · track · court

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. court — of law
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. track — a song
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — boats
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — a skill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. craft — a handicraft

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