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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · march · rule · foot · patient · bound · chest · ground

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bound — tied together
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bound — certain
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rule — government
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  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