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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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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: patient · wax · chair · season · court · spring · ball · tube

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. court — of a king
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. season — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — a container
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. season — of the year
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — of water
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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