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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: fan · shower · cell · game · patient · rock · bank · key

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — in biology

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