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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 · mark · net · trunk · mate · scale · patient · ground

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — in music
  15. march — music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a trace

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