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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — a group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — in music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — the fish
  10. key — for a lock
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — an injury

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