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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: patient · shower · lash · spell · court · last · press · snap

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — newspapers
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. court — for sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spell — a short time
  16. court — of law
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. last — final
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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