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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.

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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 · key · mark · patient · march · rest · bark · club

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. bark — to shout
  10. march — the month
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rest — a break
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. key — in music

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