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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.

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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: pit · bore · wax · wind · shower · bulb · patient · lash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — rain
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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