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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 · hide · cue · can · band · fork · tear · bowl

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cue — a hint
  6. band — a ring
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — for pool
  23. band — a music group
  24. tear — from crying

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