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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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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — there
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. pass — a permit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. present — a gift
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. band — a ring
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ball — a great time
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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