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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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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: lash · hand · chair · staff · temple · nail · patient · rush

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — a place of worship

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