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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 120 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: hide · march · patient · bank · bound · snap · bass · rule

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. snap — to click
  9. bank — of a river
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bound — tied together
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — low music

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