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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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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: wind · stick · patient · swing · rock · suit · cold · deal

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. suit — to fit
  6. swing — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — to play on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. suit — clothes
  20. rock — a stone
  21. suit — in cards
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cold — an illness

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