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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: bound · wound · patient · pass · wax · bass · shower · sharp

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the fish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pass — a permit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. shower — rain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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