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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: bound · ground · hide · court · spring · wind · patient · mark

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — of a king
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. ground — the earth
  24. court — of law

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