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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: face · patient · perch · bank · spring · march · foot · sharp

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — of a river
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — of water
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — music
  13. spring — the season
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spring — a coil
  22. face — to point toward
  23. perch — the fish
  24. face — to confront

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