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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: hand · patient · ground · pass · saw · shower · rash · can

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — in cards
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — a position
  14. hand — help
  15. rash — hasty
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — a series
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — rain
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. can — a tin

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