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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · rash · craft · patient · bound · lash · kid · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rash — a series
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. craft — a skill
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bound — certain
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — child
  23. bass — low music
  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