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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 · march · bass · leaves · land · bay · cue · wind

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. land — ground
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bass — the fish
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — a country
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cue — a signal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — low music
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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