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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: saw · prune · shower · field · firm · kid · patient · scale

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — steady
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. firm — decided
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. field — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. field — farmland
  19. scale — in music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — child
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — a company

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