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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: board · mug · patient · hand · tube · cold · plane · bound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — a container
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — an illness
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a committee
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bound — obliged
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — to get on
  17. hand — help
  18. bound — certain
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — the underground

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