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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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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: safe · kid · fork · ground · pound · field · patient · bowl

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ground — a position
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. field — a subject
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fork — in a road

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