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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. band — a music group
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — a position
  11. deal — to handle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. drill — army training
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — in football

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