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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: patient · sharp · hide · rule · wax · bass · land · lie

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — government
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — a law
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hide — to keep secret

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