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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: mine · tube · patient · fan · key · stem · club · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tube — a container
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. tube — the underground
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — a sick person

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