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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: club · can · field · shower · patient · current · lean · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — of water
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. can — a tin
  8. club — a group
  9. current — happening now
  10. field — farmland
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. current — electric
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. field — a subject
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. shower — rain
  22. club — for dancing
  23. field — for sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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