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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: net · ground · club · lash · shower · deal · board · patient

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. net — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. board — a committee
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. club — for golf
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — crushed
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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