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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · squash · season · pitcher · lash · field · face · pound

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — farmland
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — part of the head
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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