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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: snap · season · bowl · patient · shower · tear · pass · lash

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pass — to spend time

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