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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: fall · row · bound · patient · lash · cell · stand · rock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fall — the season
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bound — certain
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — a stone

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