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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: patient · ground · bound · bark · deal · wax · court · nail

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bound — tied together
  14. court — for sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. ground — crushed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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