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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — certain
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fall — the season
  5. board — to get on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cold — not warm
  12. object — to protest
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — tied together
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — an illness
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a committee
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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