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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: shower · board · key · cabinet · fall · fine · march · patient

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — the most important part
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — high quality
  8. board — a committee
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. key — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. board — to get on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. march — music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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