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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: band · march · patient · suit · wound · can · shower · stock

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. suit — to fit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — an injury
  8. suit — in cards
  9. band — a ring
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — rain
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — music

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