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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 · pitcher · rush · roll · branch · patient · march · mouse

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bound — certain
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a cake
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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