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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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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: lean · wax · hand · net · last · mug · wave · patient

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a face
  3. last — finally
  4. net — for catching
  5. mug — to rob
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — final
  14. net — in sport
  15. lean — thin
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — in cards

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