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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 120 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: row · march · track · patient · mark · mate · cold · bound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mark — a grade
  4. track — a path
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bound — certain
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a line
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. march — music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mate — to breed
  24. track — to keep track

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