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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
468
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: date · content · mark · patient · swing · hand · leaves · bear

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. content — happy
  11. mark — a trace
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — the amount
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — lets stay

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