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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · stem · wound · patient · rush · mate · wave · shower

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — a partner
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — rain
  19. stem — to come from
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — to eat

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