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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: present · fork · season · kid · wake · patient · bear · content

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wake — a trail
  8. kid — child
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. present — a gift
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — there
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. season — of the year

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