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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
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: mine · club · rush · wax · rest · spring · patient · chair

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. club — for golf
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. club — a group
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rest — a break
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — belonging to me

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