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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: bay · rash · file · band · foot · snap · patient · squash

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. file — a document
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. band — a music group
  18. rash — a series
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a line of people
  24. band — a rubber band

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