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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: club · shower · present · pop · patient · foot · rush · march

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. present — a gift
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — the month
  6. club — for dancing
  7. present — there
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. club — a group
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. club — for golf
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — a measure
  18. shower — rain
  19. march — music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. present — the time now

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