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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: rule · shower · coach · hand · foot · patient · tube · cabinet

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — a container
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — help
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — to wash
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — the underground

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