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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: rash · scale · patient · field · lash · date · stick · racket

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — a series
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — size or range
  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