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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: snap · rash · squash · stock · wave · wind · patient · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — to crush
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — the sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — shares
  19. row — a line
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rash — hasty

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