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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: jam · march · net · bowl · patient · cell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cell — a phone
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — the month

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