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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: row · saw · shower · mark · spell · swing · present · patient

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. present — a gift
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — music
  5. present — the time now
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spell — letters
  12. swing — to play on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. swing — in golf
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — magic
  22. present — there
  23. row — a line
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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