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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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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: deal · shower · patient · rush · date · scale · lash · roll

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. roll — a cake
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. date — the fruit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — rain
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — a list

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