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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 120 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: wax · straw · lash · pitch · fine · stick · patient · lie

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lie — to recline
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wax — to grow

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