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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pop · spring · object · file · staff · can · patient

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. object — to protest
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — to be able to
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. object — a thing
  13. bound — tied together
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pop — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. object — an aim
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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