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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: face · roll · bound · spring · fork · bore · patient · club

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. roll — a cake
  3. club — for golf
  4. roll — a list
  5. spring — of water
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — to confront
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — certain
  15. fork — in a road
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — a group
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — a coil
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. club — for dancing

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