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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
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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: bat · snap · nail · lash · stem · rash · patient · season

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. season — in sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — of the year
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rash — a series
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. nail — for a hammer

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