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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: lean · rash · pop · bank · land · shower · patient · chest

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pop — to visit
  4. land — a country
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — thin
  9. pop — music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — to bend
  14. land — ground
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — rain
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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