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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 · bat · pitcher · wound · chair · arm · scale · fall

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — in music

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