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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 116 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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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: bound · pitcher · patient · kick · bear · pit · tear · band

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pit — in a race
  3. band — a ring
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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