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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · object · ground · patient · scale · mouse · cabinet · rash

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — size or range
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — a series
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ground — the earth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — a position
  19. object — an aim
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. object — a thing

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