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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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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 · root · mouse · cabinet · bound · lean · straw · pitcher

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — the cause
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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