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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · bear · patient · nail · spell · row · shower · track

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — rain
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — to paddle
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spell — magic
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — a short time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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