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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: bound · cell · patient · straw · pop · march · mark · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cell — in biology
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — certain
  10. march — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pop — soda
  15. mark — a trace
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — tied together

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