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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · rock · wax · pitcher · cap · stick · trunk · patient

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — a lid
  3. game — a match
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — a hat
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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