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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.

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: hand · pitch · march · branch · scale · patient · lie · chest

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — of your body
  6. march — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — size or range
  12. branch — a division
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. scale — in music
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hand — help
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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