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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
468
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: patient · bound · straw · wound · rock · court · rest · calf

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — obliged
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rock — a stone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of a king
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — for sport
  24. bound — tied together

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