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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: mug · wind · mate · land · march · sharp · wake · patient

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — to come down
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. march — music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mug — a face
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. sharp — with an edge

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