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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — certain
  5. snap — to click
  6. land — ground
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — a country
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bound — obliged

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