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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: cue · fan · patient · fall · fine · land · field · bowl

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cue — for pool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — for sport

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