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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 · cabinet · can · race · pound · face · patient · pop

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — humankind
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. shower — rain
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. face — to confront
  16. pound — a weight
  17. race — a contest
  18. pop — to visit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — music
  24. face — part of the head

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