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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. roll — a list
  3. date — the fruit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lean — to bend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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