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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: patient · fan · bound · wake · cold · jam · coach · bass

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bound — certain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bound — tied together
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bass — the fish
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. jam — a tight spot

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