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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: lash · chest · date · march · saw · wound · stand · patient

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chest — a box
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — of your body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. date — the fruit
  24. saw — the tool

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