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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wave · fine · bass · ball · patient · cold · perch · season

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — high quality
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bass — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — low music

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