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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — a position
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — a trail
  23. file — a document
  24. pass — a permit

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