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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: staff · racket · cell · bear · shower · patient · spell · wake

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — to wash
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — letters
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — a trail
  19. shower — rain
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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