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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: wound · mark · patient · temple · march · track · pop · net

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. net — after costs
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a path
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — soda
  10. mark — a trace
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pop — to visit
  17. track — a song
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — a place of worship

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