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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: march · mate · track · patient · hand · row · can · straw

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. track — a song
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a partner

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