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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: mug · patient · track · staff · wake · scale · bound · cap

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. mug — a cup
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mug — a face
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — certain
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — a song
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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