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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 · bound · coach · spring · march · wound · lean · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — thin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spring — of water
  22. march — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. saw — the tool

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