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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: last · court · patient · lash · shower · nail · leaves · bore

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. court — for sport
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. last — final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. court — of law
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — to wash
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. last — to go on
  24. bore — to drill

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