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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: shower · patient · mouse · leaves · bank · hand · saw · fan

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bank — of a river
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — in cards

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