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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 · bound · season · ground · fork · bear · stick · prune

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bound — certain
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ground — the earth
  23. season — of the year
  24. bound — obliged

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