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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: rule · court · sharp · stem · bound · patient · club · lie

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — a law
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — to recline
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — government
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — certain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. club — a group
  24. patient — a sick person

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