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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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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: mate · patient · shower · calf · wave · rush · club · hand

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. club — for golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. club — a group
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mate — a friend
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — in cards

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