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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: face · shower · wave · roll · cap · bark · bay · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cap — a hat
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. shower — rain
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — to point toward

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