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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.

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: season · patient · face · bass · key · stick · track · cold

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. face — to confront
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — the most important part
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. key — in music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. bass — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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