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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · bass · season · patient · capital · bark · pitcher · bound

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fine — all right
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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