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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: can · stick · content · patient · pitch · chest · bore · mine

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — to tire
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — the amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chest — a box
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — for digging

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