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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: wound · squash · bear · current · patient · season · wax · ball

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a great time

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