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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 116 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: patient · hide · shower · wind · kick · safe · present · net

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — moving air
  8. present — there
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kick — in football
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — after costs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. shower — rain
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. net — for catching

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