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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 116 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 · patient · spell · content · sharp · mouse · lie · straw

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. content — happy
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spell — letters
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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