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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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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 · cap · snap · chest · rash · rest · bay · season

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to click
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — a box
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — of ice
  14. season — of the year
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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