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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — a box
  19. spell — magic
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — a short time

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