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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: mug · roll · patient · wake · mate · hand · object · shower

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. object — a thing
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. hand — help
  12. object — to protest
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mug — a cup
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mate — to breed
  19. roll — a list
  20. mate — a friend
  21. roll — a cake
  22. object — an aim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. shower — rain

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