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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: pitcher · patient · tear · fork · lash · fan · game · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cue — a signal

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