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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · squash · press · court · nail · lash · bound · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — certain
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. court — of law
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — for sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. court — of a king
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — to crush
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bound — tied together

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