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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — of a river
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chest — a box
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. scale — in music

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