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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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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: fine · wave · chest · row · pound · snap · bound · patient

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fine — all right
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. chest — of your body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — a box
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a line
  24. bound — obliged

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