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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. clip — a video
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pass — a permit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spring — a coil
  24. clip — for paper

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