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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
468
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: shower · face · hand · patient · deal · root · rush · vault

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. root — of a plant
  3. deal — to handle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — of a word
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hand — help
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. root — the cause
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. shower — rain
  15. face — to point toward
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. face — to confront
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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