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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: pitcher · deal · fine · field · patient · stem · net · kid

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — high quality
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fine — all right
  16. net — after costs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — child
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — to come from

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