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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 120 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 · ground · land · bowl · patient · coach · snap · nail

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — obliged
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — a position
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — ground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — crushed
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — to come down
  24. bowl — a dish

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