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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · bass · toast · patient · plane · pop · season · pound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pop — music
  8. toast — bread
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — soda
  13. plane — a tool
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pop — to visit
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — a weight
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pound — to hit hard

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