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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: bear · shower · bulb · land · board · patient · coach · net

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — after costs
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — for catching
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — ground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — to come down

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