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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: bank · patient · content · mate · mine · shower · coach · wave

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. content — happy
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bank — for money
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. content — the amount
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bank — for money
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. shower — rain
  20. mate — a friend
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — for digging
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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