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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: patient · game · fall · prune · current · hide · fine · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — happening now
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — all right
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — a match
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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