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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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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: hide · swing · chair · kid · bear · patient · bound · staff

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. bound — certain
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. swing — to play on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  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