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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · bowl · content · object · roll · ball · lie

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. object — an aim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — rain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. object — a thing
  12. roll — a cake
  13. object — to protest
  14. content — happy
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — the amount
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. roll — a list
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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