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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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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: bound · bank · march · safe · tear · patient · straw · trunk

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bound — obliged
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. safe — out of danger

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