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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: land · lash · fan · patient · bound · content · squash · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — the amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. track — a song
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — happy
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — certain
  23. land — ground
  24. track — to keep track

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