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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: club · field · bass · tear · shower · mark · march · patient

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mark — a grade
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. club — for golf
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — the month
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — a trace
  14. march — music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bass — low music
  18. field — a subject
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tear — from crying
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. field — for sport

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