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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · object · wind · season · hide · bass · content · dip

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — the amount
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — happy
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — an aim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — in sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — to sink
  17. object — a thing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bass — low music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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