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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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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: stick · bound · mine · patient · hand · jam · temple · track

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — obliged
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bound — tied together
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mine — for digging
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — help
  23. track — a song
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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