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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: bound · dip · bear · band · cue · ground · snap · patient

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ground — a position
  8. snap — to click
  9. dip — to sink
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — obliged
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a ring
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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