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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: bowl · rock · march · ground · row · patient · lie · snap

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. march — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — a line
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — music
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to click
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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