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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. content — the amount
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — tied together
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. content — happy
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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