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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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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: wind · patient · arm · cold · pass · fine · rash · shower

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pass — a permit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fine — all right
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — hasty
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — a series
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — to wash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — rain

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