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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.

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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: bound · chip · content · fan · pitcher · prune · season · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. season — to add flavour

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