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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: net · tear · shower · patient · face · straw · toast · band

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. net — for catching
  3. tear — from crying
  4. toast — bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a music group
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — after costs
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. shower — to wash
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — part of the head
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. face — to confront

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