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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: bound · shower · current · arm · track · land · patient · drill

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. current — happening now
  5. track — a path
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — electric
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — to wash
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bound — certain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — a country
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. drill — army training

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