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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: patient · rush · suit · ground · nail · tear · game · bass

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — a position
  7. rush — hurry
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ground — the earth
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tear — from crying

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