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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: bat · patient · bound · lean · rock · rash · shower · hide

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bound — certain
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — rain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rock — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rash — a series
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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