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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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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: cell · patient · saw · wave · mate · shower · rest · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mate — a friend
  24. patient — a sick person

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