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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 · straw · patient · stick · bore · trunk · roll · bulb

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. roll — a list
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — to drill

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