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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.

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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: rest · bowl · wound · stick · hide · patient · last · shower

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — a break
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. last — finally
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — final
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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