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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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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 · stand · perch · mate · season · patient · chest · deal

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — to bear
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. deal — to handle
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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