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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a document
  9. pop — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — certain
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pop — to visit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bound — obliged
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — tied together

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