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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: track · patient · stick · mug · bass · trunk · pop · cap

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — low music
  5. track — a path
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. track — a song
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bass — the fish

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