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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: cap · patient · fine · face · mug · prune · field · march

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fine — high quality
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mug — a face
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — part of the head
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — a subject
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mug — to rob

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