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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: lash · hide · club · press · patient · kick

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — for dancing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — for golf
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. club — a group
  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