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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. file — a tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a document
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — hasty

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