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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: shower · key · land · season · swing · hand · patient · suit

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — to come down
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. key — in music
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — the most important part
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — in cards
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. swing — in golf
  23. suit — clothes
  24. season — in sport

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