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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: row · bore · foot · net · bound · patient · sharp · bear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. net — after costs
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — a line
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — certain
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — for catching
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a quarrel

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