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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: stem · dip · scale · patient · game · ball · safe · band

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a ring
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ball — a dance
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — size or range
  24. game — a kind of play

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