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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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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: foot · bat · stock · wound · arm · fan · patient · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stock — shares
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — goods
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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