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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. shower — rain
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — for dancing
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — for catching
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — a group
  18. bank — for money
  19. club — for golf
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. chest — a box
  23. bank — of a river
  24. shower — to wash

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