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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: face · pitch · patient · band · hand · lash · spell · march

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hand — help
  7. march — music
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. face — part of the head
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitch — completely
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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