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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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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: race · tear · patient · nail · jam · lash · net · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. patient — a sick person

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