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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
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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: patient · lash · chest · spring · bank · bark · craft · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chest — a box
  5. craft — boats
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — in sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — of the year
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. spring — the season
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chest — of your body

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