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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 120 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: tube · leaves · lash · kid · game · cabinet · stick · patient

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — child
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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