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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: mine · bat · wound · temple · pitch · patient · saw · root

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. root — the cause
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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