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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 116 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 · fan · stand · pound · stem · shower · key · court

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. key — in music
  8. shower — rain
  9. stem — to come from
  10. court — of law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — for a lock
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — to wash
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — a sick person

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