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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 · bore · toast · current · wound · land · straw

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. land — ground
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — to drill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — a country
  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