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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: march · pitcher · key · spring · club · present · patient · can

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — there
  4. club — for golf
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — in music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. march — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — to be able to
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — for a lock
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — the most important part
  24. present — the time now

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