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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. club — for dancing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rock — music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. club — a group
  13. lean — thin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rock — a stone
  16. club — for golf
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bound — tied together
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rash — a series
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lean — to rest against

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