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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: pound · patient · tube · mark · bowl · cue · kick · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. field — a subject
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — in football
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a trace
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — to hit hard

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