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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. scale — size or range
  3. season — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — of the year
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bank — for money
  14. craft — boats
  15. bank — of a river
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bank — for money
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chest — a box
  23. content — happy
  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