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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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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: rush · cue · patient · shower · snap · rest · pop · cell

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pop — soda
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rest — a break
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to click
  22. cue — a hint
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. shower — to wash

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