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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: present · cabinet · last · shower · bay · mate · pop · patient

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. mate — a partner
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — rain
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. present — the time now
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — final
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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