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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · coach · march · patient · pound · wake

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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