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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: firm · charge · saw · patient · wax · rule · clip · land

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — ground
  5. firm — a company
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — electricity
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — for paper
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. land — to come down
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. rule — government
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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