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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 · pitcher · chest · can · bark · patient · court · rash

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bark — to shout
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. court — for sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — to be able to
  24. patient — a sick person

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