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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · march · band · bat · track · bowl · perch · land

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — a country
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a music group

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