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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: bay · patient · content · bear · season · lie · cold · charge

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — a price
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  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