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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bank — for money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — a coil
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — a friend

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