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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 116 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: cold · cell · wave · deal · wax · patient

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — to handle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — a sick person

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