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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: tear · wave · shower · racket · pitch · roll · bowl · patient

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. shower — rain
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — to wash
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — a list

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