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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
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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: march · patient · trunk · bay · foot · bear · track · scale

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. march — music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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