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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: chair · bound · cabinet · rush · wound · present · patient · track

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bound — certain
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — a path
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — obliged
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — the time now
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. track — a song
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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