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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.

Words on the sheet
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: scale · spell · hand · file · craft · patient · fine · march

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fine — all right
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. file — a line of people
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. file — a document
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — in music
  21. fine — high quality
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — letters

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