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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 116 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: patient · board · row · can · cold · scale · fork · wind

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — in a road
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — a line
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — in music
  24. row — to paddle

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