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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: snap · bound · hand · pop · game · patient · leaves · stand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hand — help
  7. snap — to click
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pop — to visit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bound — certain
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — on your feet

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