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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: clip · lash · perch · spell · wax · wound · pitcher · patient

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. perch — the fish
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — letters
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. clip — for paper
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wound — an injury

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