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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 120 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: club · sharp · fall · pop · perch · bound · wound · patient

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — obliged
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — a group
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bound — certain

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