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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: patient · ground · suit · bowl · date · fall · kick · scale

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. suit — clothes
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — the season
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. scale — in music
  18. suit — to fit
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kick — with a 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