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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: rash · craft · bark · club · patient · object · lash · net

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. club — for golf
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. object — to protest
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. object — a thing
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — in sport
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. bark — to shout
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — a sick person

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