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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 120 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: mug · lash · tube · foot · race · pitcher · patient · season

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. race — humankind
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. foot — a measure
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. foot — part of the 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