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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: ground · trunk · chair · season · leaves · bound · tube · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — certain
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bound — obliged
  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