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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: march · bound · patient · squash · game · plane · rock · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bound — certain

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