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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: last · rule · patient · mug · squash · rush · scale · arm

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. last — finally
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rule — a law
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. last — final
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rule — government
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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