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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.

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: net · patient · saw · mouse · spell · shower · sharp · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — magic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spell — a short time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bass — the fish
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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