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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.

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: stick · rock · cold · lie · net · patient · rash · wax

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. net — for catching
  16. rock — music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — after costs
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wax — to grow

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