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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: patient · wind · scale · root · kick · bore · ball · shower

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ball — a great time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — to drill
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — in football
  12. scale — in music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a dance
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wind — moving air

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