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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: mark · bowl · tear · patient · staff · squash · leaves · date

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mark — a grade
  16. squash — the sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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