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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: deal · patient · scale · wind · cue · board · bear · band

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. scale — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a signal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — a hint
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a committee
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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