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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: patient · perch · ground · cue · chest · scale · key · stock

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — a signal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — in music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — a box
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — for a lock
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — for pool

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