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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. can — a tin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chip — for betting
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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