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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: saw · band · pound · squash · row · mug · stick · patient

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — a face
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pound — a weight
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. squash — to crush
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a music group
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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