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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: band · lie · patient · spring · root · land · stand · shower

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — a country
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spring — a coil
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — the cause
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a ring
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. root — of a word
  23. shower — rain
  24. stand — to bear

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