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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: net · charge · kid · bound · fork · scale · patient · pound

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. net — after costs
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. net — in sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. charge — a price
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pound — a weight
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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