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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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468
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 · pound · hide · file · rock · spell · bear

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. march — the month
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. spell — letters
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rock — a stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. pound — a weight
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rock — music
  14. march — music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. patient — a sick person

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