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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — ground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kid — child
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — certain
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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