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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: charge · patient · dip · date · bear · content · field · scale

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. charge — in control
  3. content — the amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. date — the fruit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — happy
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — for sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. charge — a price
  15. scale — in music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bear — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. charge — electricity
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. field — farmland
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — to sink
  24. date — on the calendar

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