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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: present · bound · lie · straw · calf · suit · tear · patient

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. present — the time now
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bound — obliged
  13. suit — to fit
  14. present — there
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. suit — clothes
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. calf — a young animal

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