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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.

Words on the sheet
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: patient · object · march · clip · mark · can · game · pitcher

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. can — to be able to
  3. object — to protest
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a match
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. object — an aim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — a thing
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — a trace
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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