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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: scale · patient · season · straw · cue · stand · wax · cell

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a hint
  12. season — of the year
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — for pool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — a signal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — to bear
  20. season — in sport
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cell — in a prison

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