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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: bound · court · patient · bass · cue · mark · scale · wound

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — for sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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