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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 116 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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468
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: mine · patient · coach · bark · bulb · bound · scale · pitch

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bound — certain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mine — belonging to me

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