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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · tube · pitcher · spell · patient · net · squash · can

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — letters
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — for catching
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lean — thin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — the sport
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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