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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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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 · mine · last · snap · lash · bat · bass · rest

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — a break
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. snap — to click
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — final

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