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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stand — to bear
  6. snap — to click
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mug — a face
  10. root — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — rain
  19. row — to paddle
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — in music

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