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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · rock · snap · field · kick · march · scale · patient

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — music
  11. march — the month
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — for sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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