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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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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: plane · last · patient · wave · bark · present · shower · ball

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — a gift
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. last — final
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. present — there
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. plane — a tool

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