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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fall — the season
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. date — the fruit
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — a series
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rash — hasty
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — a container
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — side of the head

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