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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: band · root · wind · patient · craft · march · current · mark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a music group
  6. current — electric
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. craft — boats
  12. root — of a word
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a trace
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mark — a grade
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — music

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