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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: bound · trunk · land · race · pop · foot · mug · patient

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. foot — a measure
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bound — obliged
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pop — music
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — a country
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. race — a contest
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — certain
  20. pop — soda
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. patient — a sick person

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