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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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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: patient · row · mouse · content · march · lie · wake · rest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. march — the month
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. content — happy
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. content — the amount
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — music

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