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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: fall · scale · can · leaves · patient · net · chest · stock

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fall — the season
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chest — a box
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — goods
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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