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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: lie · pound · track · march · content · swing · rest · patient

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a song
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. track — a path
  7. lie — to recline
  8. march — music
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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