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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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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: cell · lash · game · dip · mine · snap · jam · patient

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cell — in biology
  9. snap — to click
  10. game — a match
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. dip — to sink
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. game — a kind of play

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