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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: toast · patient · race · suit · spring · roll · shower · net

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. net — in sport
  14. suit — clothes
  15. race — a contest
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spring — the season
  24. shower — rain

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