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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: rock · fall · squash · tear · patient · dip · racket · temple

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — to rip
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — a stone
  20. squash — the sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — the season
  24. squash — the vegetable

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