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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — rain
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. suit — clothes
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — the fish

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