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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: rock · board · fall · cell · calf · march · patient · net

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. fall — the season
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. net — for catching
  16. board — a committee
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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