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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: scale · rock · patient · hand · wake · foot · bark · chest

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. scale — in music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — help
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — a box
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — 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