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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: deal · rush · bark · patient · perch · lash · wave · rest

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rest — a break
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. patient — a sick person

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