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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: bass · straw · drill · patient · mug · saw · bound · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bass — the fish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bass — low music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. mug — a face
  24. bound — obliged

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