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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: rock · roll · last · bound · cell · patient · pitcher · snap

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — to go on
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cell — a phone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — final
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — a stone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to click
  23. roll — a list
  24. bound — obliged

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