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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: hand · track · net · squash · patient · bay · tear · mug

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — in cards
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — for catching
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. net — after costs
  24. mug — a cup

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