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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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468
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: fine · rock · season · patient · lash · deal · bat · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rock — music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rock — a stone
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. deal — a big deal

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