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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: content · patient · field · bear · bound · toast · scale · chair

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — in music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chair — a leader
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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