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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 · club · patient · spring · calf · rush · sharp · land

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. club — a group
  3. land — ground
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bound — tied together
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bound — certain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — a country
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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