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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — to come down
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — ground

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