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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: firm · kid · jam · trunk · bass · lie · patient · bound

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. firm — steady
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. firm — a company
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kid — to tease
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. firm — decided
  21. bass — low music
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bound — obliged
  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