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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 120 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: plane · sharp · pitcher · patient · scale · root · row · mouse

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. root — of a plant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. root — of a word
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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