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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bear — to put up with

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