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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: bound · wind · temple · can · cold · chip · patient · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — tied together
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chip — for betting
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — certain
  16. chip — to eat
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bound — obliged

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