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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: date · pound · patient · scale · stock · roll · chair · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. spell — letters
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spell — a short time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — a weight
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — goods
  17. date — the fruit
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. roll — a cake
  21. scale — in music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — shares
  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