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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: chest · mouse · wax · patient · hand · charge · stem · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. chest — a box
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hand — in cards
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — a price
  24. chest — of your body

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