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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: date · arm · mark · tear · wax · patient · foot · season

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tear — from crying
  6. date — the fruit
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — a trace
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. season — of the year
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. foot — a measure
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — in sport

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