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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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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: content · patient · march · tear · drill · scale · bank · face

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. drill — army training
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — to rip
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — to confront
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bank — of a river
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — size or range
  16. content — happy
  17. scale — in music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — for money
  20. content — the amount
  21. face — part of the head
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. drill — the tool

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