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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: present · mine · patient · roll · wave · wound · stem · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a list
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. present — the time now
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. march — the month
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — a gift
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. present — there
  16. march — music
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — for digging
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. patient — a sick person

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