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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: mark · bark · fan · patient · tube · can · scale · rest

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. rest — a break
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mark — a grade
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tube — a container
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rest — what's left
  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