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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: patient · bay · wound · foot · squash · chest · current · sharp

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — of water
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. squash — to crush
  17. current — electric
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — happening now

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