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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
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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: patient · firm · current · bass · march · stick · chest · coach

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. firm — steady
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. march — the month
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — a company
  17. bass — the fish
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — a box
  21. current — of water
  22. firm — decided
  23. current — electric
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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