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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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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: rest · bowl · bear · patient · clip · march

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with

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