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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 · object · shower · patient · degree · mark · prune · pit

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — an aim
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — in a race
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  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