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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: wind · patient · cap · bound · lean · pop · foot · straw

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bound — tied together
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pop — soda
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cap — a lid
  24. patient — a sick person

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