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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. content — happy
  10. root — of a word
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spring — a coil
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. club — for dancing

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