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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: patient · cabinet · pass · bound · capital · stick · wind · wound

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bound — certain
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. capital — a city

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