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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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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: face · pitch · patient · band · hand · lash

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — part of the head
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. face — to confront
  18. patient — a sick person

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