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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 120 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: dip · mate · bear · chest · content · lie · patient · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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