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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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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: bowl · patient · shower · bank · pitcher · capital · leaves · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — money
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — rain
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. leaves — lets stay

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