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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 116 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: perch · season · wax · patient · trunk · board · fork · content

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. season — in sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fork — in a road
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — to grow
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. trunk — of a tree

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