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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: rock · date · shower · patient · last · saw · leaves · hide

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — final
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — to wash
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — to go on

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