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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: trunk · patient · date · pop · bank · shower · fork · rest

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pop — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pop — soda
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bank — of a river
  24. date — on the calendar

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