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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. pound — a weight
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bank — of a river
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pound — to hit hard

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