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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: patient · safe · march · bound · mate · content · wave · stock

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. 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. content — happy
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bound — obliged
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — goods
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — shares
  17. march — the month
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — to breed
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. 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