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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: date · cell · spring · pound · scale · drill · fall · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fall — the season
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. drill — army training
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. date — on the calendar

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