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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · bass · pitcher · game · patient · nail · object · march

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the fish
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — a match
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — an aim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to bend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. object — a thing
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — wild animals
  24. patient — a sick person

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