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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: mug · cabinet · land · leaves · swing · bound · patient · band

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mug — a face
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — certain
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. mug — a cup
  9. land — a country
  10. swing — in golf
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — to go away

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