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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: bank · face · content · sharp · bear · march · staff · patient

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bank — of a river
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to confront
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

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