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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. pit — in a race
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kid — to tease
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — child
  16. root — the cause
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — in music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pound — to hit hard

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