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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: race · suit · ground · stem · bore · mate · bound · patient

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — obliged
  3. race — a contest
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ground — crushed
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — a position
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — the earth
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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