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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: date · bear · nail · fan · season · bound · patient · content

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. date — the fruit
  14. content — happy
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fan — to cool the air

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