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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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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: deal · firm · pop · bass · patient · wound · swing · stick

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. swing — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pop — soda
  10. bass — low music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — decided
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wound — an injury
  19. firm — steady
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — a company
  24. pop — music

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