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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: bound · cap · patient · nail · fork · press · tear · wake

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bound — tied together
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — to rip
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. press — to push
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fork — in a road
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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