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

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — of the year
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. degree — temperature
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. vault — a safe
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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