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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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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: key · bass · bear · march · wound · rest · club · patient

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rest — what's left
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — music
  5. bass — low music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — for a lock
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — a break
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. march — the month

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