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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 · chair · patient · hide · fork · shower · rush · swing

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. shower — to wash
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. shower — rain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. swing — music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rush — hurry

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