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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: leaves · patient · lash · snap · board · rule · band · toast

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. 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. leaves — to go away
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rule — government
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — a committee
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. snap — to click
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. band — a music group
  21. rule — a law
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. 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