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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: cell · rash · file · press · ball · wax · land · patient

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in biology
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ball — a dance
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — a country
  23. press — to push
  24. file — a line of people

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