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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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468
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: ground · squash · patient · nail · rest · mark · present · lie

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — a gift
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mark — a trace
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lie — to recline
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — to crush
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — a break
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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