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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: nail · mug · club · bound · patient · bowl · row · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. club — for golf
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mug — to rob
  15. can — a tin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. can — a tin
  18. mug — a face
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — a cup
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — a group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — on a finger

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