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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: chip · lash · field · bulb · club · snap · date · patient

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. club — for golf
  3. field — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to click
  8. date — the fruit
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — to eat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — a subject
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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