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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: patient · hand · lean · bound · bay · ground · coach · pit

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. pit — in a race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. ground — the earth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — a position
  23. lean — to bend
  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