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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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. cap — a lid
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — boats
  13. bound — obliged
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — low music
  20. craft — a skill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — to recline
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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