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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: patient · root · straw · bass · game · kick · rock · lash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. game — wild animals
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — low music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. game — a match
  16. kick — in football
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — the cause
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — to lash out

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