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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · arm · wind · swing · spring · bat · patient

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — of water
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bound — certain
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. swing — music
  24. bat — the animal

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