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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — tied together
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. drill — army training
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stand — on your feet

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