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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 116 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: squash · patient · land · kid · shower · bore · rest · game

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bore — to drill
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — a country
  19. rest — a break
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. game — a match
  24. bore — to tire

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