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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 116 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: cue · firm · shower · stick · bound · face · patient · fine

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bound — certain
  3. cue — a signal
  4. firm — a company
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. face — to confront
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. firm — decided
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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