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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: patient · club · squash · fan · pitcher · lie · last · wave

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — to cool the air

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