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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · patient · land · rash · mouse · lash · game · straw

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a tool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. land — a country
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — to come down
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a document
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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