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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: dip · pop · saw · wind · patient · snap · shower · object

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to sink
  6. shower — rain
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. object — a thing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. snap — to click
  11. pop — to visit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. object — an aim
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — soda
  24. patient — a sick person

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