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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: stick · wave · march · squash · racket · shower · patient · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. march — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — the sport
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — a sick person

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