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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: bowl · staff · chair · bore · patient · tear · racket · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — a leader
  5. staff — employees
  6. bound — obliged
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — a professorship

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