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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · pitcher · root · patient · wind · mug · march · temple

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — to rob
  12. march — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mug — a cup
  18. root — of a word
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mug — a face
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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