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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 120 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: fine · shower · patient · track · mouse · staff · row · season

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. staff — employees
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. row — to paddle
  9. track — a song
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. staff — a stick
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — all right
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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