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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 120 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: can · branch · degree · shower · patient · staff · arm · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — rain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — to wash
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. staff — a stick
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — a division
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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