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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: season · patient · bank · bass · stand · march · bound · drill

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bank — for money
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bound — tied together
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — certain
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bank — of a river
  14. drill — army training
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. drill — the tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — 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