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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: pound · pop · patient · rock · field · kick · mine · rush

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — farmland
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rock — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kick — in football
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pop — music
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — a stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — belonging to me

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