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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 116 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: hand · mark · bass · patient · wound · mine · deal · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — help
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — the fish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — an explosive

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