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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: dip · lean · present · shower · drill · perch · patient · capital

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. present — there
  3. shower — rain
  4. capital — money
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. present — the time now
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. perch — the fish
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lean — to bend
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. present — a gift

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