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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: craft · cap · march · row · patient · bank

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. craft — a skill
  5. march — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bank — of a river
  14. row — to paddle
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — boats

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