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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.

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: bat · land · leaves · march · rock · patient · plane · lash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — lets stay

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