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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bank — for money
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fall — the season
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — bread
  21. bound — certain
  22. swing — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — in golf

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