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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: fan · dip · face · clip · march · mine · can · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to confront
  7. clip — for paper
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — to point toward
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — to be able to

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