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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · mine · patient · deal · fan · racket

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — for digging
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter

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