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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 · pit · lie · patient · bound · safe · fan · field

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. field — a subject
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. safe — a strongbox

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