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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: patient · land · fork · race · mate · content · march · season

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. content — the amount
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — happy
  12. land — ground
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — a country
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — humankind
  21. season — of the year
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — to come down
  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