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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: face · race · land · leaves · mate · lash · bat · patient

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — ground
  4. face — to point toward
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. race — humankind
  11. land — a country
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — a partner
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — of a tree

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