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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: net · can · leaves · land · patient · fall · press · shower

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — ground
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. press — a publisher
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — to come down
  18. fall — to drop
  19. can — to be able to
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — a country
  23. can — a tin
  24. press — newspapers

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