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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hand — help
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. current — happening now
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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