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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: jam · patient · march · cue · bound · bass · roll · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — low music
  3. roll — a list
  4. cue — a signal
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — certain
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — to recline
  24. roll — a cake

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