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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 116 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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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: snap · bank · lash · patient · wind · spell · scale · chair

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — for money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — a leader
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — letters
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bank — of a river
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — magic

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