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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: bear · patient · nail · kid · lash · arm

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kid — child
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. arm — part of the body

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