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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: cell · mouse · patient · hide · cold · bass · pop · lash

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bass — low music
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pop — soda
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pop — music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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