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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: straw · coach · spring · bound · fine · patient · bark · rush

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spring — the season

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