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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: march · dip · patient · sharp · trunk · kid · wax · cell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kid — to tease
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — to grow
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cell — a phone
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — clever
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. trunk — of a car

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