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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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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: jam · bound · straw · band · patient · shower · track · drill

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — certain
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. drill — army training
  8. track — to keep track
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. track — a path
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — a song
  20. bound — tied together
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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