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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: bore · field · band · last · patient · straw · bound · toast

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — to drill
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. toast — bread
  13. field — farmland
  14. bound — tied together
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. last — final
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — dry grass

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