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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: hide · patient · charge · pit · can · lie · march · cell

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. charge — a price
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. march — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. charge — in control
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. cell — in biology

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