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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. present — there
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. content — happy
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — of the year

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