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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 116 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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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: lash · cell · patient · snap · rock · land · staff · row

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. cell — in biology
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — a line
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. staff — employees
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. staff — a stick
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cell — a phone

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