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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: fall · lash · content · patient · shower · track · can · ruler

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — rain
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — to wash
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a song
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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