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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: cell · game · patient · leaves · wind · shower · mate · root

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a word
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. root — the cause
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cell — in biology
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. root — of a plant
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — a phone

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