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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: pitcher · patient · bear · rush · fine · scale · saw · spell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — letters
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — all right
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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