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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — shares
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bound — certain
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mouse — the animal

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