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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 116 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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wind — moving air
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — for betting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — ground
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rest — a break
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — to turn a key

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