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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · leaves · march · patient · lie · bat

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — in a road
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — of a tree

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