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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: patient · can · stock · face · spell · shower · hand · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hand — in cards
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — goods
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — to point toward
  10. staff — a stick
  11. can — to be able to
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to confront
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — magic
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — a tin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — a sick person

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