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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. clip — a video
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. court — for sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fall — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. court — of law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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