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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: wave · patient · rash · march · foot · scale · ground · pit

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ground — crushed
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. foot — a measure
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — a position
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. scale — in music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — a hole

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