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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 116 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 · object · cold · plane · wound · racket · pitcher · patient

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — rain
  4. object — to protest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. shower — to wash
  11. object — an aim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — not warm
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. object — a thing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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