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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: wax · patient · chair · hand · land · fine · track · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fine — high quality
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — all right
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — a song
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a path
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — help
  18. land — a country
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — for sculpting

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