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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: content · craft · march · clip · fall · patient · key · plane

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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. key — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. craft — a skill
  6. key — for a lock
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. clip — a video
  11. content — happy
  12. fall — the season
  13. march — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — to cut
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — for paper
  24. key — the most important part

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