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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — the season
  9. object — to protest
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — an aim
  13. clip — a video
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a word
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. object — a thing

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