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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pop — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. last — final
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bound — obliged
  15. last — to go on
  16. fall — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — rain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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