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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — a phone
  5. march — music
  6. roll — a list
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stand — to bear
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — the month
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. face — to confront
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bear — the animal

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