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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: current · fan · lash · ground · hand · face · patient · pop

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ground — the earth
  4. current — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ground — a position
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — electric
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — happening now
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pop — soda
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to confront
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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