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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: can · patient · file · row · pop · last · cell · shower

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a line of people
  5. row — to paddle
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — final
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — a phone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — soda
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. row — a line
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — to go on

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