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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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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: bass · row · patient · deal · band · face · spell · fine

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. face — to confront
  6. band — a music group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — magic
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spell — letters
  13. row — a line
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a ring

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