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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: wind · swing · patient · foot · court · bound · bowl · rush

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bound — certain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. court — for sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. swing — music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — in golf

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