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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — happy
  13. pit — in a race
  14. content — the amount
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. patient — a sick person

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