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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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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: shower · pass · march · wake · stick · bear · patient · mouse

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pass — a permit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — rain
  16. march — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bear — 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