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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: dip · bark · patient · scale · squash · nail · wound · fan

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wound — an injury

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