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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — of water
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chest — a box
  8. bound — obliged
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. court — for sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. court — of law
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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