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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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468
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 · jam · arm · fan · pound · tear · patient · hand

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tear — from crying
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. scale — in music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — help
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — size or range
  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