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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: season · march · mine · drill · spell · patient · dip · board

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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. dip — to dunk
  4. march — music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a committee
  15. season — in sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — to sink
  22. march — the month
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — a sauce

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