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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: rash · fan · bass · patient · board · kid · mine · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kid — child
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. fan — to cool the air

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