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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: scale · arm · rock · race · mate · mine · dip · patient

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — for digging
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. rock — a stone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — to sink
  24. scale — in music

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