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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 · bound · tear · patient · current · perch · shower · cue

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cue — a hint
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. shower — rain
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — certain
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — to wash
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — of water
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bound — tied together

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