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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
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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: shower · field · pit · drill · date · patient · foot · calf

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. foot — a measure
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a hole
  11. drill — army training
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — the fruit
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — part of the body

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