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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
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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 · fall · mine · roll · wax · game · stand · land

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. land — to come down
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wax — to grow
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. roll — a list
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — the season
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. game — a match
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — in the ear
  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