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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 120 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: fan · hide · row · kid · wave · ball · cue · patient

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a dance
  12. row — a line
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — to tease
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ball — a great time

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