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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bound — certain
  11. branch — a division
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — 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