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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · patient · net · rash · pit · march · mate · bank

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — of a river
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a partner
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — the month
  7. net — after costs
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — a series
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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