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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: patient · bound · current · roll · prune · face · arm · band

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — obliged
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to point toward
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — of water
  14. bound — certain
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. roll — a list
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. roll — a cake
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to confront
  23. band — a music group
  24. arm — part of the body

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