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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. stand — to bear
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. toast — bread
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — music
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — of a river

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