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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: pound · track · patient · scale · craft · roll · bat · jam

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. scale — size or range
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. track — a song
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. roll — a cake
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — a path

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