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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
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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: patient · wind · bear · wave · spring · content · scale · can

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. spring — of water
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spring — the season
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — moving air

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