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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 120 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 · bore · deal · saw · rash · coach · wind · bound

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — hasty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — a series
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bore — to tire

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