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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — rain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — to get on
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a committee
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — a series
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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