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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.

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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 · bulb · march · patient · chest · hand · pass · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — in music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. march — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chest — a box
  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