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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: can · patient · band · clip · shower · chair · content · nail

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. can — to be able to
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — the amount
  18. clip — a video
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — to cut
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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