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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: game · wave · season · scale · row · chair · patient · band

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. row — to paddle
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a music group
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. season — in sport

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