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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: straw · game · rock · patient · foot · lash · hand · root

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — help
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. root — of a word
  22. game — a match
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. straw — a straw man

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