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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: bass · branch · face · track · cell · scale · patient · fan

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. scale — size or range
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — to confront
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — in music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. track — a song
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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