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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 124 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: prune · patient · shower · chip · lie · drill · rash · fan

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — to eat
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. chip — for betting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — to recline

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