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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: scale · patient · hide · land · march · mug · chip · object

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — a thing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. object — an aim
  12. scale — in music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — a country
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. scale — size or range
  24. object — to protest

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