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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: patient · lean · net · row · coach · shower · wound · mouse

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. row — to paddle
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. row — a line
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. net — after costs
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. net — for catching
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — an injury
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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