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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 120 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 · patient · fine · hand · perch · pitch · craft · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cell — a phone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — high quality
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. march — music
  24. cell — in a prison

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