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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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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: lash · mug · straw · wave · chest · patient · mouse · shower

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — a box
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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