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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: perch · lash · pit · snap · patient · hide · chair · content

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. chair — a leader
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to click
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — a professorship

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