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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · mug · drill · shower · net · club · hand · rush

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. 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. hand — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hand — help
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — a practice
  14. club — a group
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — hurry
  19. drill — army training
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — to rob
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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