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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: fall · pitcher · patient · bound · content · bark · cabinet · spring

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — of water
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — happy
  14. bark — to shout
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — the season
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fall — to drop

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