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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.

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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 · stock · drill · wake · pitcher · patient · branch · chest

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — shares
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stock — goods
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — a box
  16. drill — the tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

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