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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: squash · hide · bound · patient · lash · court · spring · nail

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — certain
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the sport

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