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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: patient · mine · fork · hide · march · arm · row · bay

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mine — for digging
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — music
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. row — a line
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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