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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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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 · arm · mark · scale · tear · mug · bowl · wind

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mug — a face
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. scale — in music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bowl — to roll

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