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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: fall · hide · bass · date · patient · craft · bound · bulb

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bound — obliged
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. craft — boats
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fall — the season

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