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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: wind · bowl · shower · branch · mark · can · cell · patient

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. branch — a division
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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