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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: spring · pitcher · stick · scale · bore · season · patient · toast

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — the season
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bore — to tire
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. season — in sport
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. scale — in music
  24. bore — gave birth

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