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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: stick · march · patient · content · snap · leaves · bore · tube

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to drill
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — the underground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to click
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — videos and posts

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