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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: wind · pitcher · roll · chair · ruler · lie · bound · patient

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ruler — for measuring

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