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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 · rule · bound · straw · present · pitcher · firm · tube

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — a container
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. firm — steady
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. firm — decided
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — the underground
  10. present — a gift
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — there
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. present — the time now
  17. bound — certain
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rule — government
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. firm — a company

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