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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: hide · bass · band · patient · bear · row · scale · drill

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a music group
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. drill — army training
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. row — a line
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. row — to paddle
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. scale — size or range
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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