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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 120 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: cell · wave · pitch · bank · fine · patient · scale · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — completely
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — of a river
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bank — for money
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cell — in biology

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