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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: mouse · face · lash · patient · season · ball · spring · jam

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — in sport
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. ball — a round shape

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