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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: wind · snap · shower · patient · rest · club · lash · ground

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. club — a group
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rest — a break
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — a position
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — what's left

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