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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.

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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: shower · face · last · bulb · leaves · bound · lash · patient

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. shower — to wash
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. shower — rain
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — to confront
  19. bound — certain
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. last — to go on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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