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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: season · chest · patient · club · jam · bore · mark · pound

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — a box
  9. mark — a trace
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bore — to tire
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. pound — a weight
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. club — for golf
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. season — in sport

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