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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — letters
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. patient — a sick person

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