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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · shower · lash · patient · game · ball · mouse · saw

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ball — a great time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ball — a dance
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mouse — the animal

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