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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · plane · bass · file · content · row · patient · deal

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — low music
  4. file — a tool
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. deal — to handle
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — happy
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. plane — a tool
  23. row — a line
  24. bass — the fish

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