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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: field · foot · cue · pitcher · fall · shower · patient · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — for pool
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a hint
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. shower — to wash
  18. field — a subject
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — the season

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