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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: saw · stem · patient · season · lash · bound · net · staff

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. staff — employees
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bound — tied together
  9. saw — the tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. net — in sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — of a plant

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