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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: can · patient · band · spring · pitcher · shower · kick · court

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. court — of law
  3. shower — rain
  4. kick — in football
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of a king
  19. band — a music group
  20. spring — of water
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — to be able to
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — a thrill

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