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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · rash · pitcher · leaves · shower · field · game · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — farmland
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — to wash
  22. field — for sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. shower — rain

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