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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. net — for catching
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — thin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. club — a group
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. kick — in football
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. net — after costs
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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