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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: squash · staff · patient · cold · straw · wave · lash · net

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. net — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cold — not warm
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — for catching
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. staff — a stick
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — after costs
  21. staff — employees
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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