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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: dip · mine · season · bass · hand · patient · pass · deal

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — of the year
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — to sink
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mine — for digging

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