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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — a city
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — to come down
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — certain
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bound — tied together
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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