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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 116 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: pitcher · wind · bass · coach · bound · patient · land · bat

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — to come down
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. land — ground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — low music
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the instrument

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