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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: face · fall · patient · snap · bank · dip · lash · bulb

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bank — of a river
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. snap — to click
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — part of the head
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to sink

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