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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · patient · mouse · leaves · spring · bank · tube · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spring — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bank — for money
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — of a river

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