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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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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: bound · object · clip · patient · mate · board · ball · fall

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. ball — a great time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — to get on
  11. clip — a video
  12. board — a committee
  13. clip — for paper
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — an aim
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  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