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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · cold · patient · bank · perch · march · lie · pop

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pop — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — soda
  8. march — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — an illness
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lie — to recline
  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