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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: present · pitcher · dip · march · wake · band · shower · patient

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. band — a music group
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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