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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · march · chest · wave · suit · patient · bass · mouse

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. bat — the animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. march — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wave — of the sea

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