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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: temple · face · file · march · jam · patient · pop · wind

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. march — music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — to confront
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. temple — side of the head

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