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

Word bank: bear · wake · pit · chair · present · patient

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. present — there
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. 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