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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 · pound · season · bass · hide · bat · bowl · mate

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bass — low music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. season — in sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. patient — a sick person

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