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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — letters
  5. perch — the fish
  6. roll — a cake
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bass — the fish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a list
  21. rash — hasty
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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