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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 116 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — in a road
  20. degree — an amount
  21. shower — to wash
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bark — to shout
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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