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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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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: patient · cabinet · deal · tear · band · rest

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tear — to rip
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — a break
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a music group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a ring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band

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