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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: wave · mark · mate · face · ground · rush · patient · shower

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — a position
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. shower — rain
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — to confront
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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