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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: bowl · calf · mark · pound · scale · face · prune · patient

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pound — a weight
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — a grade
  12. face — part of the head
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to confront
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. scale — size or range
  23. face — to point toward
  24. calf — of the leg

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