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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: fine · game · patient · wound · mate · hand · bound · land

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — to come down
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — a friend
  16. land — a country
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — ground
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — certain
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — tied together

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