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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: pitcher · dip · field · net · lean · calf · spring · shower

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spring — of water
  4. shower — rain
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — for sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — for catching
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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