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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 · temple · lean · ball · net · bound · date · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — in sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bound — certain

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