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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: patient · track · deal · pitch · face · spring · kid · fan

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. track — a path
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — to confront
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — of water
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a song
  24. face — to point toward

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