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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: field · chest · suit · patient · pound · file · pass · scale

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — in music
  10. suit — in cards
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chest — of your body
  14. file — a document
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pass — a permit
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — a box

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