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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.

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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: pound · bowl · scale · cold · foot · safe · patient · wind

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cold — not warm
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — in music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. scale — size or range

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