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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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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 · mine · wave · file · squash · ruler · snap · craft

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — for digging
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a tool
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. craft — a skill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — boats
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. snap — to click
  21. squash — the sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. patient — a sick person
  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