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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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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: bound · mine · bass · branch · tear · patient · rash · track

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. branch — a division
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rash — a series
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — a path
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — certain
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — a song
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — from crying

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