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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
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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: tear · scale · squash · patient · hide · wax · sharp · game

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. squash — to crush
  16. scale — size or range
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — in music
  24. hide — animal skin

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