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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 120 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 · cabinet · bound · tear · rock · trunk · nail · season

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bound — tied together
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — of the year
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. season — in sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tear — to rip
  24. patient — a sick person

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