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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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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: stick · scale · march · tube · patient · wave · pitch · nail

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. scale — in music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. march — the month
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — music
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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