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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.

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: can · wave · mine · field · date · cabinet · fan · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — for digging

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