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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: shower · scale · track · wake · kid · prune · patient · deal

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — child
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. shower — rain
  24. deal — a big deal

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