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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 120 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: wax · chip · stand · lean · pitcher · tube · patient · hand

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — to bear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — help
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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