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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: patient · chair · scale · bat · stand · snap

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to click
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bat — in an idiom

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