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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: patient · scale · chest · current · tear · pit · squash · fine

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fine — high quality
  8. current — electric
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — all right
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — a box

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