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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: object · sharp · patient · firm · shower · squash · present · fall

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — a gift
  6. squash — the sport
  7. object — an aim
  8. firm — a company
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. present — the time now
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. present — there
  14. shower — to wash
  15. sharp — clever
  16. object — to protest
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. object — a thing
  22. firm — decided
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — to crush

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