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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 120 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: squash · cell · bank · rest · field · plane · patient · shower

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bank — of a river
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. squash — the sport
  13. shower — rain
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — a phone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. field — a subject
  24. cell — in biology

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