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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: nail · bound · pass · spring · club · wave · patient · bass

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pass — a permit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. club — for golf
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. club — a group
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pass — to spend time

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