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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 116 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. firm — decided
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — certain
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — a division
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — a company
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. firm — steady
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — to get on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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