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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: bat · arm · branch · scale · bulb · swing · patient · pitcher

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. swing — music
  7. branch — a division
  8. scale — in music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. swing — in golf
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — for light

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