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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · date · wax · lash · field · safe · patient · bark

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — farmland
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. date — the fruit
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. 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