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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — certain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rule — government
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — a law
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bank — for money

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