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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 116 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: field · fine · row · saw · bore · hand · patient · shower

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — a line
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fine — all right
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bore — to tire
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — help
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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