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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — the underground
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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