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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: wound · dip · club · patient · mark · fall · land · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — rain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fall — the season
  18. land — ground
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fall — to drop
  24. shower — to wash

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