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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 116 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: bound · march · wound · bark · chip · mouse · patient · mine

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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