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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: content · wax · charge · temple · face · patient · bat · row

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wax — to grow
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — a line
  15. face — to confront
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bat — the animal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — the amount

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