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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bound — certain
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. ground — a position
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — the earth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pound — a weight
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wake — before a funeral

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