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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 116 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: land · cap · shower · tube · stand · lie · bear · patient

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — ground
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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