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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: kick · shower · plane · fan · present · fork · kid · patient

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — to tease
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — child
  8. present — there
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. shower — to wash
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — a tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. plane — an aircraft

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