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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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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: patient · bore · jam · chest · pass · swing · wax · content

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — a permit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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