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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: chair · wax · fork · pound · patient · swing

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chair — to sit on

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