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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: patient · mouse · kid · coach · shower · lean · content · stick

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — to bend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — happy
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  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