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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: arm · spring · suit · wound · tear · pound · stand · patient

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — a coil
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wound — an injury
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stand — to bear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

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