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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · race · cabinet · shower · dip · lie · patient · club

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — to sink
  22. race — a contest
  23. lie — an untruth
  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