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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — a container
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. root — of a word
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. root — the cause
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pound — a weight
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. land — to come down
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — ground
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — to hit hard

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