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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: bound · straw · content · patient · bowl · band · bore · stock

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. band — a ring
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. content — the amount
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stock — shares
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. content — happy
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a music group
  24. bore — to tire

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