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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: wake · content · scale · lie · season · patient

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — in sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — in music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — of the year
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — the amount

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