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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — low music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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