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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: patient · cell · toast · rush · fork · game · scale · pop

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — in music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cell — in biology
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. toast — bread
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — a phone
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. game — a match
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — hurry

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