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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: scale · chest · patient · jam · club · bound · stand · race

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stand — to bear
  3. club — a group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — in music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. club — for golf
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chest — a box
  14. race — humankind
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. race — a contest
  17. scale — size or range
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — the arms race
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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