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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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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: lean · kid · band · patient · mate · wake · wax · trunk

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. kid — child
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wake — a trail
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. band — a ring

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