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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: fall · mouse · toast · bound · patient · scale · pop · bass

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fall — the season
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — low music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — certain
  18. toast — bread
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pop — music

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