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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · cold · hide · net · cabinet · lash · patient · root

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. net — after costs
  11. root — the cause
  12. net — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — an illness
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. shower — to wash
  18. net — for catching
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a word
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cabinet — ministers

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