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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 · ball · fine · can · patient · field

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a dance
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — farmland
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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