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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: fall · shower · rest · stick · patient · plane · racket · game

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — rain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — to drop
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — the season

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