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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. present — there
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — the time now
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bark — of a tree

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