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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: patient · shower · trunk · fine · kick · prune · band · hand

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. band — a ring
  7. kick — in football
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fine — high quality
  24. band — a music group

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