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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: land · patient · fall · club · bat · last · straw · bound

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — the season
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. club — a group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — a country
  12. last — finally
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for golf
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. land — ground
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — to go on

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