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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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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stock — shares
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — low music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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