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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: spring · patient · nail · can · bat · shower

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. 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. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. can — a tin
  18. 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