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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: plane · nail · patient · shower · press · present · spring · key

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. present — there
  5. key — in music
  6. spring — of water
  7. key — for a lock
  8. press — a publisher
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. present — a gift
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — the most important part
  20. press — to push
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — the time now
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. press — newspapers

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