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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — low music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — a lid
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a hat
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rock — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pop — soda
  21. rock — a stone
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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