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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · patient · bowl · cold · trunk · mark · current · scale

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. current — happening now
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mark — a trace
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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