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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: staff · last · patient · bank · stick · lash · chest · plane

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — a box
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bank — for money
  9. plane — a tool
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — to go on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. plane — in geometry

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