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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: mate · arm · patient · scale · tube · bat · season · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — in music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — a friend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mate — a partner
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a document
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — a container
  21. scale — size or range
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mate — to breed

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