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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: patient · bank · mine · fall · bass · wound · pit · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. fall — to drop
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — for money
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fall — to drop
  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