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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: shower · coach · band · patient · branch · safe · cap · dip

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — rain
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — a division
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — a lid
  13. band — a music group
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cap — a hat
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cap — of ice
  24. band — a rubber band

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