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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: patient · fork · firm · cell · bear · craft · row · bound

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. craft — boats
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. firm — steady
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fork — in a road
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. firm — decided
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — a line
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. firm — a company
  24. bound — tied together

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