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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: cue · march · deal · shower · date · patient · bass · lean

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to bend
  10. date — the fruit
  11. lean — thin
  12. bass — low music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — the fish
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cue — a signal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. date — on the calendar

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