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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: bass · toast · cold · safe · patient · chair · wound · current

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. current — happening now
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cold — not warm
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cold — an illness
  11. current — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the fish
  20. current — electric
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. toast — bread
  23. wound — an injury
  24. toast — the most admired

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