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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 · court · bound · stick · mug · leaves · net · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. net — after costs
  3. mug — a cup
  4. net — for catching
  5. bound — certain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — tied together
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. net — in sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — obliged
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mug — a face
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. court — of a king

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