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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: bass · rush · nail · firm · content · patient · bear · shower

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. firm — decided
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — a company
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. firm — steady
  21. bass — low music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — a thrill

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