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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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Word bank
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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 · kick · patient · lie · pop · face · row · prune

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bound — certain
  7. pop — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a line
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. face — to confront
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — to recline
  24. patient — a sick person

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