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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · plane · stick · tear · lash · patient

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kid — to tease
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tear — from crying

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