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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: patient · leaves · season · hide · mug · capital · lash · bat

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — a city
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — money
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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