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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 · stick · swing · march · game · patient · mark · wind

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — music
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mark — a grade
  15. march — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — to play on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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