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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. date — the fruit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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