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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: band · ground · present · cell · trunk · patient · bound · rash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — a gift
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. present — there
  16. bound — tied together
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — certain
  20. present — the time now
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cell — in biology
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. band — a ring

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