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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: track · patient · foot · sharp · fan · shower · tube · pound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pound — a weight
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — clever

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