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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 116 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: staff · saw · nail · patient · chair · content · hide · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. content — happy
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — the amount
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. staff — employees

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