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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · cold · rush · rest · can · patient · present

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — hurry
  5. present — the time now
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cold — not warm
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — a gift
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — rain
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bank — of a river
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — a tin
  19. present — there
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — to wash

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