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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: fan · pitcher · pop · cue · hand · patient · land · mate

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. pop — soda
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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