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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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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. bank — for money
  4. mate — to breed
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — thin
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cold — not warm
  24. squash — the sport

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