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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: bat · patient · arm · spell · shower · bear · bay · toast

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — the animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. bear — the animal

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