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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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Word bank
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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: snap · patient · lash · row · spring · craft

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — boats
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — a line
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill

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