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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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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: bark · coach · patient · fork · swing · bound · kid · pound

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. swing — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — certain
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kid — child
  24. coach — a trainer

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