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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: season · rock · hand · patient · fine · shower · stock · plane

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. hand — in cards
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — help
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stock — goods
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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