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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
468
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: cabinet · cold · lie · rock · wax · ball · patient · mate

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cold — not warm
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rock — music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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