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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: pound · rock · firm · patient · bass · wound · mark · chair

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bass — low music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mark — a trace
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rock — music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. firm — a company
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — an injury
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. firm — decided
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. patient — a sick person

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