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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: mark · spring · patient · rest · bass · rule · bound · pound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rest — a break
  6. spring — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — the season
  12. rule — government
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rule — a law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pound — to hit hard

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