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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rash — a series
  3. bound — obliged
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cap — a lid
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cap — a hat
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — certain
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cap — of ice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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