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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: saw · rule · field · mine · patient · mate · cue · pitcher

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rule — a law
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — farmland
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rule — government
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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