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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · bear · perch · bound · march · patient · craft · content

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. craft — boats
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — the month
  16. content — the amount
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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