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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: wax · patient · band · saw · snap · stick · chest · craft

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to click
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a music group
  19. craft — a skill
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wax — in the ear

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