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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — tied together
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — certain
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. can — to be able to
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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