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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 120 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: face · wave · patient · kid · shower · fine · last · rest

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rest — a break
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — child
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — final
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — rain
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rest — what's left

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